The Life of MR
by JAMZD
Summary: Max is ready to die, but before she does, she wants her daughter to know exactly who she was and who she is. Follow Dawn as she reads all about her mysterious mother's past. Maybe she'll even find out who her real father is...
1. Preface

**The Life of M.R.**

**Alright people, I'm back! Welcome to my new fanfiction! Okay, so if you are someone that follows my other fics, then I think you will be pretty surprised by how I write this fanfic. I hope you enjoy, and here is the preface!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

**Preface**

It's a big world, and outside all I can hear are the sounds of cars passing by, people walking around, and the pitter-patter of rain on my window. Yes, the world is big, but at this very moment, I know I've seen it all and I know I've felt it all. I've felt the wind through my hair, the rain on my face, and so much more.

"Dawn, pass me my notebook, the old brown one in the box." I say to the tall woman sitting by my bed, her honey blonde hair tied into a loose pony tail and her bangs covering her chocolate brown eyes.

"Alright mom, but why do you want your old notebook?" She asks me with a slightly confused look.

"Because I think it's time that I told you a very special story." I say with a calm smile, remembering all the things written in my notebook.

"Okay then, here's your notebook, but again, why now?" Dawn says to me, putting the leather-bound notebook in my lap.

"Because, we're in the hospital and I might die soon, so I want you to know this story now, before I die." I say, getting more or less tired of her questioning.

"But mom," I watch Dawn as she sighs and gives up, "Begin your story, mom."

"Thank you, honey." I say with a small smile. I look down at the notebook sitting in my lap and smile to myself, thinking all about the flock and all those years together. Taking a big breath, I open up the weathered old book. I look at the first page, and then hand it back to Dawn.

"Dawn, sweetie, I want you to read this entire notebook to me, out loud."

"Of course, mom, anything for you," Dawn says, taking the notebook out of my worn hands. Dawn doesn't even bother to read over the page first, instead she begins reading immediately.

** So there is the preface, I know it's short, but it's like a mini introduction to the idea of the story I guess. Anyways, review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	2. Chapter 1: Iggy's 18th and a Letter

**The Life of M.R.**

**Alright, here is the first official chapter! Hope you enjoy! **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

Dear Journal,

It's been 3 years since Angel was kidnapped from our mountain house when we went to pick strawberries, and roughly 2 years since the explosion in Paris when Angel again disappeared. Of course we've found Angel, but she just isn't the same, and the only reason she was found was because HE had gone frantic after the explosion and had gone searching like there was no tomorrow. In the end, it was Dylan, Iggy, HE, and I that had found her. Right after Angel was returned to the rest of the flock that had been staying with my mom and Ella; HE left again, probably to be with his own flock. Angel rarely smiles now, and when she does I can tell that something is off. She won't tell any of us what happened to her while she was missing, and I guess that we all just brush it off. I mean, she still looks like Angel and talks like her, but, I don't know, maybe she is repressing something?

On a happier note, today is Iggy's 18th birthday, mine was 2 months ago, and so was Dylan's. Iggy grins like a madman as he takes in a huge breath, giving himself goldfish cheeks, and literally blows the candles off the cake that my mom had baked the night before. Gazzy, Dylan, Nudge, Ella, and Angel all smile and start handing Iggy some gifts which he almost immediately starts feeling the colour and shape of. Yes, I just said feeling the colour of. I smile and laugh softly to myself at their excitement before helping my mom cut the cake.

"OHEMGEE! Max, look at this letter!" Nudge exclaims suddenly. For some reason she had gone to get the mail out of the mailbox while Iggy was determining what his gifts were, I had gotten him a new pair of Vans. Nudge wildly thrusts the letter at me. Laughing, I take it from her. As soon as I read the address and recognize the neat handwriting my eyes become saucers and the world starts to blank out.

"Max, Max honey, what is it?" My mom asks me as she sees my eyes turn to planets.

"Erm…Uh…Yeah," I say, faking a smile, "I'll be right back." I quickly grab the letter, which I had dropped, and rip the sliding door open. Snapping my wings out, I launch myself into the brisk autumn air and head for my favourite spot. Since I don't want to be away too long, I use my light speed to get to my hidden canopy in the forest. As soon as I see it, I slow down and land on the long outstretched branch. Adrenaline and anxiety pumping, I sit down and lean against the trunk before I begin reading.

"Wait mom, who is this letter from?" Dawn asks me, confused, and breaks off from the journal entry.

"You'll find out soon, honey, just keep reading." I say with a bit of a smile. Dawn nods and gets back to reading.

Before opening the vanilla coloured envelope, I study the handwriting and take some relief in being sure that it's His. Finally satisfied, I carefully open the envelope and take out the enclosed letter.

_Dearest Max,_

_How are you and the rest of the flock? My flock is doing fine. Ratchet, Kate, and Holden have decided to go back to school, while Star and Maya are planning on starting their own clothing shop. How is Angel doing, is she feeling better yet? Oh, please do wish Iggy a happy birthday for me… I hope you're well and happy with Dylan! By the way, Ratchet and Star are getting married. After some discussion, they decided that you and your flock should be invited. The wedding will be in 2 weeks time, at the hawk cave. Hope to see you there!_

_-Fang_

After reading the stupid letter, I was seariosly wishing that I could throw a hammer at Fang's head. I mean really, he left us, and now he expects us to go to a wedding for 2 members of the flock that he created after abandoning us? What a jerk. Scowling in disgust, I shove the letter into my back pocket and fly back to the party. As soon as I'm back, Angel's eyes brighten as she reads my mind.

"We're going to see Fang and his flock?" She asks in a hopeful wonder. The rest of the flock look up from their pieces of cake and conversations, all having a wondering glint in their eyes. I sigh and put a fake smile on.

"Yeah, we're going to see them at the old hawk cave." Cheers erupt around the room, which is understandable since Fang grew up with us and hasn't been with us for 2 years. In the background I can hear my mom trying to settle the plans with me, but I don't really hear her. Instead I think of Fang.

"Mom, who is this guy, Fang?" Dawn asks me, finishing the entry.

"You'll see, honey." I say as a nurse enters the room with a food tray.

** Alright, there is the first official chapter! Hope you liked it! And I know it's short, sorry! Review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	3. Chapter 2: Meatloaf and RF Hair

**The Life of M.R.**

**To those readers who read my other fanfics: Love you guys, thanks for supporting my writing! To everyone else: You have been accepted to Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry… Jokes, but you did get the next chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

Dawn and I sat there, the rain still steadily hitting my hospital room window. I was slowly poking the sludge that they call food in this hospital and wishing I was having a slice of Iggy's chocolate cake instead, Dawn was eating Chinese takeout that she had run out and gotten for herself.

"Dawn honey, could I have some of that yummy looking stir-fry, please?" I practically beg, finally throwing down the stupid plastic fork that I had been using to prod at the supposed meatloaf.

"Mom," Dawn frowns at me a bit, "it'll be bad for you. With the state you're in, it's better for you to eat that," Dawn quickly studies the 'meatloaf' on my tray, "vitamin jelly…?"

"Dawn, this is supposed to be meatloaf." I say with a smirk. Dawn's eyes widen.

"Oh…Erm…Yeah, here mom," Dawn starts piling stir-fry onto the extra plate she had gotten. "Could I start reading the next entry now?"

"Yes, yes. Go ahead." I say impassively, digging my fork into the stir-fry."

"Oh, by the way, what did you mean about wings and explosions in Paris?" Dawn asks me quickly.

"You'll see, Dawn." I say with a bit of a secretive smile.

Dawn cocks and eyebrow but begins reading anyways.

It's been a few days since we got the letter from Fang and everyone is excited, except for me. I mean why would I want to see that low life, self centered, emo, stupid, retarded, selfish, dumb, brick wall-like, idiot? I mean really, he is dating Maya, my clone, anyways!

"Max, when are we going to the mall?" Angel asks me with a sweet, ten year old smile. That was probably the only good thing about the stupid letter coming; Angel was now genuinely smiling, even if only a little bit.

"We will soon, baby." I say, ruffling her blonde curls. Suddenly a 12 year old Gazzy, a 16 year old Nudge, and the two 18 year olds, Iggy, and Dylan, burst into the room yelling like maniacs with Total following right behind them. For a second I wonder where Ella is, but I quickly remember that she is on a trip across Europe with her school.

"No! I want to say we take Total to the dog park before he goes back to live with Akila!" Nudge yells.

"No, we should strap him to a rocket!"Iggy and Gazzy exclaim.

"Why don't we just buy him some new toys?" Dylan yells.

"Everyone shut up!" I scream. The entire flock is silent. I look down at a frustrated Total who is obviously missing Akila and his pups. "Total, what would you like to do on your last day visiting with us?" I ask calmly. Total thinks about it for a minute and then looks at me.

"Well Max, I would like to go on a fly with the entire flock." Total says surely. I nod and smile, then look up at the flock. They all exchange glances and give in.

"Alright, let's go then!" Nudge exclaims, suddenly back to her dopey-happy self.

The flock and I then set off for a long awaited flight. Gazzy and Angel were playing tag in between the thin clouds, and Nudge and Iggy were off behind us talking quietly. Dylan was beside me, trying to start a conversation and failing. Total had joined Gazzy and Angel in their game of tag when Dylan had finally found a topic to base the conversation on.

"So, Max, are you worried about what might happen at the wedding? I mean, you obviously don't want to go, and the last time you saw Fang you nearly ripped that ridiculously flippy hair off his head."

"Dyl, I'll be fine. The rest of the flock wants to go, and so we'll go." I say, biting my tongue before I can say anything else.

"Are you absolutely sure? Because we all know how erm…close, you and Fang were." Dylan states sheepishly, knowing that he is treading on thin ice.

"Yes..Sure." I growl through gritted teeth.

"Okay." Dylan yelps, wide eyed. My jaw relaxes but I continue to mentally glare at the thought of seeing Fang's "ridiculously flippy" hair.

When we get back from out flight, my mom has already set the dinner table and everyone is stupid-hungry. Iggy practically shovelled the chicken down his throat.

"Mum, I still don't get it." Dawn says, almost whining.

"All in due time, Dawn." I saw with a small smile.

**Alright, I know it's been forever! But I have been distracted by some really…erm...emotionally damaging situations. But that's all over now! (or at least I hope so) Review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	4. Chapter 3: Dress Shopping

**The Life of M.R.**

**As some may have noticed, I've updated my other two fanfictions today as well…Hope you like this chapter a lot more than the previous!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

"Mum, before I start reading the next entry, could you please explain to me what is going on? I mean you're talking about flying and talking dogs and a bunch of our relatives. What is this book?" Dawn asks me with a very serious expression.

"Dawn honey, keep reading and in the end, if you still don't understand then I'll explain it to you." I say with a small smile, still eyeing the weird meatloaf the hospital had given me. Thank god Dawn had given me some stir fry. Dawn sighs and begins reading my next entry.

* * *

><p>It's been a few days since the flock flight with Total and now he's gone back to be with Akila and his pups at the Arctic research center. The entire flock is still buzzing with excitement about the upcoming wedding we'd be going to in about 8 days. I was quite surprised by the couple getting married though since the last time I saw them, Ratchet and Star had been at each others throats with a crazy passion to kill each other.<p>

"Max, it's time to head over to the dress shop!" Nudge hollered as she and Angel skipped out the door. Yes, Nudge said dress shop. Yesterday we'd gotten an actual 'invitation' to the wedding that stated we had to be 'dressy'. So today (much to my animosity) Nudge, Angel, and I are going to this apparently 'amazing' dress shop in the next town over. Once we got to a forested area behind the house, Nudge, Angel, and I took off into the air.

"Wait, Nudge, is there even going to have stuff for Angel there?" I ask.

"Of course there will!" Nudge states matteroffactly.

"Fine, just remember it has to be a dress with no back for our wings, and we have to be able to fly in them."

"Okay, no problem." Nudge says happily as she flies ahead of me with Angel, leaving me to my thoughts.

"Mum, wings?" I asked my mom who had been listening contently to my reading.

"I'll explain later, keep reading, honey." My old and weathered mom said.

Once we got to the dress shop we landed in the back alley and walked around front to the shop door. We walked in and Nudge squealed in delight, I on the other hand was amazed by the wide array of dresses. Angel and Nudge quickly darted off in search of dresses for themselves and for me. I took a seat on an over stuffed leather chaise and waited for them to come back. Getting bored, I started texting Dylan who was out suit shopping with Iggy and Gazzy.

M: Hey, how's the suit shopping going?

D: Hi. Pretty good, what about you?

M: Nudge and Angel are looking for a dress for me…I'm slightly terrified of what they'll bring back.

D: Ha ha, don't worry.

M: I'm worrying anyways. I mean we're going to see Fang for god's sake. Who knows what'll happen.

D: True. Oh well, good luck. Need to get measured, bye.

I sighed and put my phone away. About an hour later Nudge and Angel came back. They were both wearing what I suspected to be their chosen dresses and both were holding about 10 dresses in their arms for me to try on. Nudge's dress was a tiffany blue one-shoulder that went just below her knee. It had a high-waist and had a flowing skirt. Angel's dress was coral pink and look like something you'd see at the ballet or in a fairytale. In other words Angel looked like a princess. Suddenly Nudge thrust a dress at me and pointed to the change room. I sighed, grabbed the dress, and went to try it on. This continued till about the 18th dress.

"Ohmigawd, this is it!" Nudge squealed and asked me to do another turn.

"It's so pretty!" Angel said cheerily. "Look in the mirror, Max!"

I decided to listen to the ten year old and I looked in the mirror. They were right; the dress was perfect for me. It was a mauve cocktail dress that had a long slim skirt that brushed the ground. There was a slit on one side of the skirt that went to mid-thigh and it had the draped-toga top. There was no back of course and so there was enough room for me to stretch out my wings a bit in the private change gallery. Nudge and Angel started jumping together and cheering at my reaction.

10 minutes later we'd paid for the dresses, changed into our normal clothes, and taken off for home. By the time we'd gotten back the boys were already there with their suits and my mum was busy cooking dinner. Ella was out with a few friends. We ate dinner as a flock and discussed the plan for getting to and from the wedding.

* * *

><p>"Mum, can you please explain to me now?" I asked again.<p>

"Dawn, keep freaking reading." My mum said with a stern tone. I sighed and once again began.

* * *

><p>Later that night Ella came home and told us that she didn't want to go to the wedding. So it was decided. It was just the flock and I.<p>

**There we go, better than the previous chapter I hope still on the short side though... Review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	5. Chapter 4: Sex Monkeys and Twins

**The Life of M.R.**

**Hey everyone, I guess I'm sort of kind of losing interest in this fanfiction and might discontinue it…I don't know, if you have any ideas then inbox them to me! I might also try to find a way to end the story as quickly as possible.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

My mum has already been in the hospital a few days and I've already read quite a few entries in the little notebook she had and I was now at the one where the flock was flying to the wedding of Ratchet and Kate at the old hawk cave.

"So mum, when are you going to explain this all to me?" I asked my mom.

"Dawn, quit asking that question and keep reading." My mum said annoyed. I sighed and began reading.

* * *

><p>Today the flock and I would be taking off for Ratchet and Kate's wedding. Everyone was all dressed up in the dress or suit they had gotten and were also all carrying a small supplies bag with a cell phone, some money, and a few granola bars. I did a quick scan of my flock and nodded. We all then walked into the backyard of our house and took off into the morning sky.<p>

Awhile later we landed at the opening of the old hawk cave and my mind was quickly flooded by old memories. I shook away the thoughts and looked around. A simple flower arch was set up and there were a few chairs set up for everyone. It was an extremely simple wedding. I could hear vaguely familiar voices from inside the cave.

"Wow, 4 years and this place still looks the same." Gazzy said with a grin, following the many hawks flying through the canyon with his excited eyes.

"So you're finally here." Said a very familiar voice as the source of the voice landed in front of us. The source of the voice looked pretty much the same as they had 3 years ago, if anything their hair had gotten longer and shaggier. The source of the voice wasn't alone. Landing beside them was my clone, Maya, who had changed a lot since we last saw her. Instead of having a simple magenta streak through her hair she now had her hair dyed bleach blonde with a series of colourful highlights. I also took into note that her hair was choppily layered and she had a nose stud.

"Fang!" Angel and Nudge squealed in excitement as they rushed to the source of the familiar voice. Fang's face broke out into a grin as he hugged the 10 and 16 year olds and took in the sight of their dresses.

"You've both grown so much." Fang sighed happily.

"Well no kidding, you haven't seen us for 3 years." I say coldly with my arms crossed. Angel's brow furrows as she looks at Maya.

"Maya, you and Fang are having a baby?" Angel asks curiously, brows still furrowed. Maya smiles and puts her hand protectively on her abdomen. I studied her more closely and noticed that the frills on her dress hid the decently sized bump. Fang grins but quickly drops it as he sees my face. I was just about ready to go insane or pass out. Either would work, though I'm sure that punching Fang's face in would be more fun.

"Yeah hun, Fangy here and I are going to have twins in about 6 months." Maya says happily to Angel who had her ear pressed to Maya's belly. Dylan glanced at my face and must've seen the steam rolling out of my ears. He quickly looked at Angel and must've sent her some crazy thought because all of a sudden she stood back from Fang and Maya with a big smile.

"That's great! Now we're all going to be one big happy family!" Angel exclaims. Fang and Maya give her confused looks and Angel's smile gets bigger. "Max and Iggy are engaged, and since Iggy is like your brother, Fang, that'll make you and Max in-laws!" Angel suddenly states. She sends me, Nudge, and Iggy thoughts of, '_It's Dylan's idea, just go with it. This could be fun!'_ Iggy had no problem going with it since he suddenly had his arm snaked around my waist and had kissed my forehead. It took every ounce of my will not to slap him. Fang and Maya stared at us shocked.

"Yep, it's true. Maxie and I are due to get married in a few months." Iggy says with a mischievous grin. Iggy then winks at Fang and Maya. "Max is also quite the little sex monkey!" My cheeks burn and I inconspicuously begin grinding Iggy's foot into the ground with my heel.

* * *

><p>"Wow, mum, what the hell? Who's Iggy and why'd he call you a sex monkey? Why can't you just explain this all to me?" Dawn whined to me.<p>

"Goddamnit Dawn! Just keep reading the notebook!" I exclaim, highly annoyed at my 36 year old daughter. She just looks and sighs at my 68 year old self. Yep, I, Maximum Ride, have gotten old and very sick. Dawn stares at the notebook and starts reading again.

* * *

><p>Fang also blushes slightly at Iggy's comment and Maya's eyes widen.<p>

"Well erm…that's great. I'm happy for you two." Maya says with a smile.

After Iggy's sex monkey comment the rest of the wedding/party went on with pretty much fake-conversation between me and anyone from Fang's group, including Fang. Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy on the other hand were enjoying every minute of seeing Fang. Iggy and Dylan ended up hanging out most of the time with Star and Holden. Dylan seems to have taken a liking to Star.

At some point Fang asks to speak with my alone. Not really caring, I go with him. He ends up leading me to a different cliff in the canyon and we start talking.

"So you and Iggy…?" Fang asks me casually with a bit of a smirk.

"Yeah, there a problem with that; because it's not like I'm dating my ex-girlfriend's clone and also expecting not one, but two babies with them." I say smugly.

"Maya might look like you, but she is nothing like you, Max." Fang says sharply. His obsidian eyes cutting into me.

"Whatever, nice to know that you know how to use protection…Oh wait, you don't!"

"Mmmm, this from the 'sex monkey', that's just rich."

"Well who's the one here expecting children?" I remark. Fang drops the topic.

"Anyways, I can't believe you agreed to show up."  
>"I only did for the flock. For some reason they still adore you."<p>

"Not all the flock does, in fact they don't really…at least not as much as they used to."

"Well what do you expect, Fang? You walked out on us almost 4 years ago without anything but a letter. You can't possibly expect everything to be fine."

"Whatever. I know that you and Iggy aren't actually together, by the way. Angel sent the thought of it to me after reading my thoughts."

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know, guess she just thought that my thoughts were worthy of knowing the truth."

"Are you sure it wasn't because she felt bad for you?" I said with a sarcastic pout.

"Yeah I'm quite sure. So tell me, how has the flock been?"

"Just fine…though I do still find Angel at night some times, crying in her sleep and whispering your name. Also, Gazzy now has even bigger trust issues." Fang takes what I said into consideration.

"How have you been, Max?" His question catches me a bit off guard.

"I've been just fine, Fang."

"Are you sure? Because you really didn't look fine when Maya confirmed Angel's announcement about her pregnancy."

"Yeah Fang, I'm fine. In fact I'm better than fine. Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge are finally in school and Dylan, Iggy, and I will be starting college or university soon. We're all doing great."

"Are you sure?" Fang asks me. I glare at him and he throws his arms up in innocence.

"Fang, we are all doing fine. If you don't stop I'm going to forget about Angel's wish for me not to pound your face in, because you really do deserve it." Fang looks taken aback and slightly hurt by what I said. Suddenly I receive a few thoughts from Angel.

'_You know Max, he still loves you.'_

'_Sorry Angel, but he can bite my a—erm butt.'_

'_Max! Give him a chance.'_

'_No, he's gotten Maya knocked up. I know what it's like to lose someone who means a lot so Maya can keep him.'_

I stop sending thoughts to Angel and once again look at Fang who quickly looks away from me. He didn't look away quickly enough though since I managed to catch a hint of longing in his eyes, and maybe even some regret. I shake it off and spread out my wings.

"I'm done here, Fang. You can tell my flock that I flew back." I say with my back turned to Fang before taking off into the night. It wasn't long after I started flying that my eyes began to water.

* * *

><p>"Mum, now can you explain?"<p>

"Dawn, for the last time, no." Dawn sighs at me.

"Fine."

"Dawn, by the way, in case anything happens to me before you finish reading the notebook, I want you to keep reading it even though I'm not there. Promise me that."

"Of course, mum." Dawn says to me with sad eyes, slightly taken aback by my request.

** Okay, so Fang and Max got to talk…Somehow Max managed not to rip off his head, yay! But Maya is pregnant with Fang's children…I bet you guys can't wait to see where this will go! Review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	6. Chapter 5: Passed Away

**The Life of M.R.**

**What? No Reviews? Fine, go ahead and hate. But if you do review then I promise that you'll find the way this fanfic turns out will be amazing. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

It happened suddenly and I couldn't do anything to stop it. The shock of it happening had left me in a frozen depression and instead of unbearable numbness all I felt were pins and needles. She was gone and she was never coming back. I'd never be able to ask her ever again how to do anything. I'd never be able to hug her again, or run to her when I'm scared. Because she's gone. I just sat there frozen as the doctor consulted me on different options. Even when my husband and daughter came to see me I was still just gone from reality. It wasn't until my 49 year old twin cousins came and comforted me did I break down and let the tears out as it finally set in. My mother was dead and she was never coming back.

For the next few days it was like I was a human shell. I stopped eating and all I really did was sleep, but even sleeping was torture since my every dream was a memory. By the 3rd day my grief stricken cousins finally managed to drag me out of my room and got me to eat. The food was tasteless in my mouth and felt like a dead weight as it went down my throat.

"At least she went in her sleep, peacefully." My cousin Derek murmured as I slowly forced myself to go through the motions of eating the bowl of cereal I had been given.

"Yeah, she didn't suffer, Dawn, and I'm sure she'd want you to be happy." My other cousin, Stefan, said with a sad smile. It was quite awhile before I said anything back.

"Do you know where my mum's notebook is?" I whispered hoarsely.

"Yeah, I think it's in my car. I'll get it." Derek says solemnly as he gets up from the kitchen table and goes to get the notebook. While he's gone the phone rings. I only stare at it blankly as Stefan goes to pick it up. I listen impassively and continue eating my cereal.

"Yeah, Derek and I are both here. What? You're brining everyone down for the funeral? Are you sure, mum? It'll be a big shock for her; I don't think she can handle it right now." Stefan murmurs into the phone almost incomprehensively. He stops speaking for a moment as the person on the other line talks. "Yes, okay." is all he says as he hangs up the phone. Derek then walks back into the kitchen and hands me the notebook.

"Thanks…do you know where Simon and Blythe went off to?" I ask them both with hollow eyes.

"Yeah, Simon took Blythe to the zoo, just to take her mind off all this." Stefan says as he and Derek exchange a glance and Derek nods. "Now, our mum has asked us to prepare you to meet a few people and to make sure you keep reading that notebook." Stefan says as he begins hauling me off the chair I was seated on and guiding me to my favourite room in my quaint house, my mini library. Stefan situates me in my favourite recliner beside my bay window and hands me the notebook.

"Now you just read while Stefan and I organize some things, okay?" Derek states. I nod and then he and Stefan leave the room. I sigh and rub my swollen eyes before turning my attention to the notebook. I open it up to the last page read and begin reading to myself, seeing as I no loner had my mother to read to out loud.

* * *

><p>Working in the shop with Maya and Star wasn't actually that bad. They had somehow managed to get me dressed in a way that someone wouldn't notice my broken wings sticking out a bit and so I was able to work in the front with them. The entire time I was working with them though, I couldn't help but have my thoughts flit back to my dream about the little girl. Who could she be? I also found myself occasionally glancing at Maya's pregnant belly and actually feeling happy for her. She was happy and no longer looked like my exact clone. In fact, she actually felt like a sister if anything. I was starting to enjoy staying with Fang's flock and even kind of forgiving Fang for leaving my flock. At some point during the lunch break I finally got up the nerve to ask Maya the question that had been bugging me since last night.<p>

"So, how has Fang been these past 3 years?" Maya's bright expression darkens a bit at my question.

"Well, after he came back to us after finding Angel, he was incredibly depressed. He changed, Max, he really did. He definitely was no longer the Fang we all knew and cared about. I remember him complaining about not being able to feel anything." Maya swallowed hard. "He started disappearing randomly for days on end. The longest he was ever gone was two weeks. One night he came back all beaten up, but with some crazy sheet of formulas. We tried asking him what the formulas meant, but to this day he has yet to tell us."

"Maya if this is hard, you don't have to tell me." I say, wishing I hadn't asked and brought such a sad look to Maya's face.

"No, you should know." Maya said quickly. "After he came back with the sheet of formulas he stopped disappearing all the time, that's when the drinking started. We were all horrified since when he got drunk it was like he was an entirely different person. He would do terrible things and not even remember them. One of these terrible things that he did was rape me." Maya says solemnly and wipes away a few unshed tears at the thought. "After he did it he stopped drinking. He tells me every day how sorry he is and how much he wishes he'd had the control to have prevented the unfortunate event. It's only been about 3 months, but he's already turning back into the old Fang and though our unborn twins are accidents, he loves them so incredibly and so do I. He loves you too, Max, and the only reason he stays with me is because of the babies." Maya says sadly. I only stare at her wide eyed.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch." I growl angrily, completely ignoring the fact that Maya told me that Fang loves me.

"Don't Max, you'll only regret it." Star says stoically after reliving the memories of the past 3 years.

"Yes, please don't." Maya says just as the timer goes off, telling us that it's time to open up the shop again. The rest of the afternoon passed with little to no discussion between the 3 of us and the story about Fang buzzing through my mind. Some part of me just couldn't seem to accept it while another was actually disappointed with Fang.

Once the last customer left the three of us began the short walk back to the house that Fang's flock was living in. Dinner was already on the table and everyone else was home, including the now sober Fang.

* * *

><p>I would've continued reading into the next entry but I was interrupted by Derek and Stefan knocking on the door softly before entering.<p>

"We've got everything organized, let's go." Derek says slightly happily as Stefan helps me out of the chair and then begins guiding me to the car waiting outside my house. I don't say anything as we begin driving to who knows where.

** So, kind of a sad chapter since Max dies…But at least more of the story is uncovered! Ugh I'm sorry if you guys hate me now…Review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	7. Chapter 6: Crazy Oldies

**The Life of M.R.**

**Okay…So, I'm hating this hate. The point of this fic is to branch out of my usual writing style. I get that you all love FAX, but Max can't live forever and Fang won't always be with Max. LIVE WITH IT…pretty please? Like really, so what? Fang turned into an alcoholic ass and got Maya knocked up. He was already an ass as of the end of the book Fang, so it shouldn't be that big of a surprise that he got worse. Now sorry for this somewhat rude rant and here's your damn chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

It's been a few days now and I've barely seen Simon and Blythe. Organizing the funeral with Stefan and Derek has taken up most of my time and what little time I have left I've used to read the notebook. I've still yet to figure out what it all means and who all these people with such strange names are. I mean really, who names their kid Nudge?

"Dawn, there are some people here you should meet." Stefan says softly after knocking on my study door. I look up from the paperwork I was scanning over and nod. Stefan turns around and beckons the people in. Once he does a group of people walk into the room and I scan over them. The group is made up of 5 men and 5 women, 7 of them seem to be about the same age as my mother had been. The others are younger, but not by much, the youngest actually looks 60.

"Who are you all?" I ask solemnly.

"Well that's a very long story, Dawn, but we're here to make sure you read the rest of the journal so we can answer any questions for you." One of the men, a tall, turquoise-eyed, old man says to me with a slight accent.

"Okay, but what connections do you all have to my mother?" I ask suspiciously.

"We were all very old friends of hers." The youngest looking of the group says with a soft smile as she remembers something about my mother. My eyes continue to scan the group before my eyes stop dead center on one of the women. She looks exactly like my mum.

"Mom…?" I ask, tears starting to brim. The logical side to me knows it isn't possible, but the illogical side sees my mother, alive.

"No dearie, I'm Stefan and Derek's mother. That means I'm your aunt." The woman says with a bit of a smile as she motions to my two cousins who had silently remained at the door. I nod my head.

"Well don't just sit there! Read the journal!" One of the men suddenly yells. He has blue eyes and farts just as soon as he yells at me. I look at him disgusted and go to open the bay window to let fresh air in.

"Don't yell at Dawn." One of the other women exclaims as she slaps the farting old man upside the head. She has mocha skin and is dressed in very expensive looking clothing. "Dawn honey, could you read it for us out loud?" She asks me sweetly. I nod and begin reading to the so far crazy group of oldies.

It's been already a few weeks since I began staying with Fang's flock but my wing has still yet to heal properly. I miss my flock and can't wait to see them all…my stinky Gazzy, motor-mouthed Nudge, adorable Angel, perverted yet hilarious Iggy, and heck, I even want to see Dylan. Though I can't say that living here has been bad…Fang's flock isn't actually that bad once you get to know them and Maya has even become like a sister to me, which I guess makes sense considering she was originally my clone. I've even begun to forgive Fang a bit, for everything.

"Maxie, let's get that wing checked out." Kate says to me with a smile. I wince as she begins unwrapping the gauze that had been used to loosely keep my wing in place.

"So? How much longer till I'm all healed up?" I ask anxiously. I hear Kate sigh.

"Sorry Max, it doesn't look like your wing is healing properly. You might have to stay with us for a few more weeks, 2 months tops." Kate says as she gingerly rewraps the gauze.

"Arghhh." I groan in frustration as Fang and Maya walk into the room.

"Wing okay?" Maya asks me with a concerned face.

"No, Kate just told me I'm dying." I say with another groan. Due to her pregnancy Maya has become rather gullible.

"Ohmigawd! Nooooooo!" Maya moans as she rushes to hug me while keeping a hand on her rounded belly. It's only been about 4.5 months, but boy was she ever big.

"No I didn't, I just said your wing wasn't healing properly." Kate says, swatting my arm jokingly. Maya then looks up at me (yes she had managed to hug me) and starts giggling while I burst out laughing. Fang though doesn't seem to be as happy as the three of us.

"If your wing isn't healing properly then maybe you should be on bed rest." Fang says; starting to sound like the concerned boy friend he used to be.

"Fang, if anyone here should be on bed rest it should be Maya, it's not even 5 months and she's huge!" I say while glancing down again at Maya's pregnant belly.

"I know that, and as of today she is." Fang states, catching not only Maya and Kate, but also me off guard; Maya gasps.

"Now we can be bed rest buddies!" Maya squeals, suddenly sounding like Nudge as her choppily layered-multi coloured hair bounces up and down with her mini jumps. I was about to say no when Fang gave me a look.

"Yeah, that'll be great." I say with a smile. The rest of the topic goes without discussion.

Later that night at dinner we were all seated around the table. Ratchet and Holden had somehow managed to carry around 15 pounds of Chinese take-out home and we were now pigging out. I currently had a pair of chopsticks digging around in a take-out box for the perfect egg roll.

"So, tonight I was thinking we could all go for frozen yogurt tonight, seeing as it is Star's birthday." Maya says happily as she swallows a chopstick full of some kind of noodle dish.

"Sure, why not." Fang says, shrugging while he tries to balance a dumpling on a single chopstick.

"Sounds super yummy!" Kate exclaims. The others nod in agreement, and so, 20 minutes later we were all walking to the local frozen yogurt place. Once again my wing was cleverly hidden from the public eye. When we got to the shop I was relieved to find it wasn't too busy. Fang's flock, obviously having been there before, quickly set out in getting together the perfect frozen yogurt. I on the other hand had no idea what to do.

"Need some help?" Fang asks me. I swallow down my smart ass remark and nod. He smirks and grabs two fro-yo cups and hands me one.

"So, what do I do now?" I ask, eyeing the multiple machines. Fang sighs.

"What flavours do you want? I guarantee this place has them."

"Okay…umm…Marbled chocolate and cookie dough."

"Max, this isn't an ice cream parlour."

"Fine, uh…could I have chocolate and cake batter?" I ask, taking a wild swing with cake batter.

"Okay then." Fang says with a hint of a smile as he takes my cup from me and fills it with the two said flavours. Then he hands the cup back to me.

"What now?"

"Go over to those tables over there and put toppings on, don't go too crazy though. We get charged by the weight here." Fang says as he points to two long tables with lots of different toppings to choose from on them. I nod and go. As I wander to the tables I notice that the other have already sat down and started eating their frozen yogurt. Then I reach the table.

"Oh my god, chocolate chip cookie dough…and snicker bars!" I whisper to myself before grinning at the snicker bar memory. I then quickly begin piling toppings on. Fang comes over a couple minutes later and stares at my cup wide eyed.

"Max, don't tell me it's that time of the month." He says, eyeing the different types of chocolate I had piled on.

"It's not, I just love chocolate." I say as I go over to the counter to get my cup weighed. Fang sighs but quickly puts his toppings on and joins me at the counter to pay.

"That'll be $89.95, please." The very peppy looking cashier says to Fang as he takes his wallet out. I watch him and am surprised to find a picture of the flock (as in Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, Iggy, him, and I; before Dylan) in one of the licence slots.

"Alright, thanks." Fang says to the cashier, in the corner of his eye he motions for me to go sit with the others. I nod and do so. When I sit down everyone gives me the same reaction as Fang did and I only grin happily as I dig in. 10 minutes later we're all enjoying out frozen yogurt, that is until a group of teenagers walk in and completely fan girl.

"Hey, aren't you guys Maximum Ride and Fang, from the Flock?" One of the girls squeals, she looks about 17. "I love your blog Fang!" Suddenly a bunch of other people in the shop look over and see us and notice the same thing.

"Oh my god it's FAX!" Someone else squeals, and with that I know that all hell has broken loose.

** Again, sorry it took awhile to update. Hope you liked the chapter!Review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	8. Chapter 7: Explanations

**The Life of M.R.**

**Been on hiatus, apologies! Anyways, here's your chapters.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

"Wow wait, what the hell is FAX?" I ask, finally fed up with not knowing what the hell I've been reading.

"Should we tell her?" Mom's doppelganger, asks the mocha skinned woman.

"Max's ghost will give us hell, for it, but I guess we should." The mocha skinned woman says with a sigh. "I'll do it." She says as everyone else nods.

"Finally, I'm getting some answers." I say with an exasperated sigh before getting up and plopping on to the couch with the mocha skinned woman.

"Ah, just as impatient as your mother is—was." The woman says with a smile that causes her eyes to crinkle. She takes a deep breath and then begins to explain. "Well firstly hun, my name is Monique, most often known as Nudge, that is Dylan, Gerard who is otherwise known as Gazzy, Angel, James who is usually known as Iggy, that is Star, Kate, Ratchet, and Holden." Moniqu—Nudge says, pointing her wrinkled hand towards everyone.

"Alright, but what did you all have to do with my mum?" I ask, remember them being mentioned in the journal.

"Well, this'll be a long story." The old woman says, I simply nod and so she begins. About an hour and a bit later I'm sitting on the couch, completely surprised.

"So you're telling me that Dylan is my father and I lived with you all for the first 3 years of my life, but since my mum wanted me to live a normal life, she had her biological father, my grandfather, Jeb Batchelder, take the bird D.N.A. out of me, had her wings somehow grafted off, and then ran away with me in the middle of the night, and then once we'd gotten here, she had me put into intensive hypnotherapy to have the memories of you all erased?"

"Yes, it was your mother's wish, and we all respected her very much so we stood by it. Though, when you were about 4, she did allow your cousins, Stefan and Derek to start interacting with you. Over the years all we've received from her are letters and photos of you." Nudge says, her hands resting in her lap. I must have had a look of pure shock plastered on my face since Iggy suddenly started talking.

"You're mother was very dear to us all, sort of like a mum to all of us too. She requested that after she died, that you be told about whom she was and how hard she tried to give you a good life." Iggy says with a blank stare. I then remember reading in the journal that he is blind.

"So then, where is Fang? It does seem like my mother was very much in love with him." I ask curiously.

"If we could, we'd tell you, but after Fang found out about your mother running away, he himself disappeared off our radar. We haven't seen him for decades." Maya says sadly.

"So, now that you have your answers, would you please continue reading?" Ratchet asks me, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere. I nod and begin.

** Alright, short I know, but at least it's something! Review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	9. Chapter 8: Going Home

**The Life of M.R.**

**Alrighty, here we go!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

Since I was told the basics of what happened and who my mother was, I kept on reading. I've gotten to the point now of the day that she leaves Fang and his flock.

..

"Do you really have to go?" The 7 month pregnant Maya whines from her bed.

"Yeah, I do, my flock needs me. I've been gone for a very long time." I say with a small smile as I lean down to awkwardly hug Maya.

"You have to come back when Stefan and Derek are born, promise me." Maya whispers to me as we hug. We were actually quite a pleasant moment until Mr. Tall Dark and Emo daddy-to-be walks in with my duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

"We need to leave now if you expect to make it back to the flock by sunset." Fang says impassively from the door, though I do know that he is a bit sad since we have gotten a bit closer in the past 2 and a half months since the Frozen Yogurt incident where we were practically mauled by FAX fans. I nod and let go of Maya. She looks very sad as I leave the room, but when I turn around she fakes a smile and waves. Out on the corridor Kate and Star are waiting, all tear filled too.

"Don't leave, Max! You're the only one that can still kick Fang's ass and get away with it." Star moans.

"Don't leave us with the brick wall!" Kate whines. I laugh at them. I've become friends with them as well.

"Ahaha don't worry, he isn't that bad after awhile. And I'll be back in 2 months, okay? Need to meet the twins." I say with a smile, forcing the tears not to come to my eyes. Fang doesn't say anything and instead nudges me along the corridor up to the roof where Ratchet and Holden are waiting. As soon as we're on the roof I'm attacked with a massive bear hug from the both of them.

"Hey, you better come back to meet the twins, alright? Or Maya will have us go after you." Ratchet says, forcing himself to use a tough voice. I smile at him and nod. Holden says nothing but bursts into tears.

"Don't leave us here with him!" Holden sobs, pointing to Fang, who is now looking at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Don't you know that he molests us in our sleep?" Holden whispers. It takes me a minute to realize that he's grinning under the fake sobs.

"Peh, we both know you enjoy it, Holden." Fang says impassively, knowing that it's a joke. I only laugh at the two of them and then turn to Fang.

"Ready for an up, up, and away?" I ask, remembering the old times, like at the baseball game in New York.

"Yep, are you?" Fang asks me. I nod and then we're off.

…

The flight so far has been pretty quiet, Fang and I haven't really been talking much and well, I'm fine with that. We stopped in at a Mc Donalds and got lunch, but other than that we've been flying non stop.

"Are you excited to go back to everyone?" Fang asks me impassively. I hesitate.

"Of course I am. They're my family." I say, implying that Fang is no longer part of my 'family'. Fang nods with a clenched jaw and we continue our flight.

…

As soon as my feet touch the ground in the large backyard of our house, I'm instantly tackled by Angel, Nudge, Gazzy, Iggy, Ella, and Dylan.

"You're back!" Angel cries happily.

"Good to have you back, Max." Dylan says, clapping a hand on my shoulder.

"Wahoo!" Gazzy exclaims as he lets one rip. Once he does everyone darts away from where he is standing and holds their noses shut, except for Fang, who must've forgotten how terrible Gazzy's stench was, and had instead passed out a few feet away from Gazzy. After a few moments of letting the stench drift away, Nudge was by Fang's side with the rest of us, except she was poking his face.

"Gaz, I think you killed him." Nudge says as she continues to poke Fang's face.

"Stop poking my face." Fang mumbles sternly as his eyes flutter open and he drags himself up off the ground. The flock laughs and they all greet Fang and sort of catch up on the past few months. I look at them and feel a pang of sadness, seeing the way they're all hanging out really reminds me of the old days. Fang and the rest of us end up going back into the house for a couple of sodas. A few hours later, Fang gets up to leave.

"Well I should be going now; Maya and the other will worry." He says, stretching his arms.

"Awwie, bye, Fang." Angel says sadly as we see him to the back door. He goes into the backyard, stretches out his wings, turns to face us all, and then catches my eyes. In his own eyes is an expression of—regret? I couldn't tell, he took off before I could look any closer.

Later that night, the flock, Ella, my mum, and myself all gathered around the living room and I told them all about my time with Fang and his flock.

** Short, but there you go! I'll try to update soon, and sorry for the major time lapse, just trying to finish this story! Review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	10. Chapter 9: Return of the Max

**The Life of M.R.**

**More time lapse! Haha, sorry, I'm just working on new fanfic and I kinda just want to finish off the other ones I'm writing. By the way, this upcoming fanfic is planned to be better than any other and will be a Maximum Ride based one as well!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

I couldn't take much more of the basic filler stuff my mum had written in her journal, so I decided to skip ahead a huge chunk. By now, the funeral is nearing and well, I haven't really seen my 'aunts and uncles' much or my own family. I've really just been holed up in this damned library, reading day and night.

…

It's already been 6 years since Dylan and I got married and about 14 since I last saw Fang and his flock. Wow. Sure, Fang has tried to keep in touch through letters and such, but I never really read them. I went back for Stefan and Derek's birth, but Fang wasn't there. Now as I look at myself in the full wall mirror of the studio that Dylan and I had rented to live in, I wonder what life would be like if I was married to Fang instead of Dylan, if I were having his baby instead.

"Hey honey." Dylan says with a sleepy and warm voice as he comes up behind me and gives me a bear hug, his gentle hands resting on my swollen belly. "Just a few more weeks until we have our beautiful Dawn to take care of," Dylan says with a smile. We'd already decided on the baby's name, and obviously she'd be a girl.

"Yeah," I say with a small smile as I look at both of our reflections in the mirror. "I want to visit the flock today." I say suddenly. They were still living at the old house with my mum and Ella.

"Alrighty, are we going to drive?" Dylan asks. I scoff and spread my wings.

"We have these things on us for a reason, now let's use them." I say with a grin as I lead Dylan out on to our giant porch for a rather careful up, up, and away.

...

I giggle and cartwheel (yes, I can do those things) with glee as Dylan and I soar towards the old house. It's been a long time since I've been able to fly like this. Dylan has had me on bed rest and the fact that he is letting us fly to the flock is an absolute surprise.

"Ah, this feels so...amazing!"I exclaim as I come up beside the extremely worried looking Dylan.

"Max, honey, please take it easy. Otherwise you'll either induce labour or kill Dawn."Dylan says, clasping my shoulder as I get ready to bolt off again. I frown but listen anyways. He's right; my little Dawn would probably die if I kept on the way I was.

...

"Max, Dylan, is that you!"Nudge exclaims as she rushes out the door with Iggy, Gazzy, and Angel in tow. Dylan and I had just barely landed in the backyard. I take a good look at the flock, it's been around 4 months since Dylan and I last visited, but they still looked the same. Angel with her 24 year old model young-ness, Gazzy with his 26 year old movie director stubbly-ness, Nudge with her professional polished look of a 30 year old fashion designer, and Iggy with his 32 year old look of a comic book/collector store owner. Yes, my family has indeed grown. They all give me and Dylan a giant bear hug just as my mum and Ella walk outside. Ella has become a veterinarian just like mum, while Dylan runs a restaurant. I teach a fighting class, but have taken time off because of my pregnancy and help out at the restaurant.

"Well, of course it is."Dylan says with a fatherly voice to Nudge as he ruffles Angel's still curly hair. Angel makes a sour face at Dylan and turns to me.

"Max, we have a surprise for you inside."Angel says to me telepathically. I cock my eyebrow at her but let her lead me inside as everyone else continues giving Dylan their warm welcome. When I enter the back kitchen I'm first greeted by two identical 14 year olds nearly knocking me over.

"Wow, sorry mo—wow, no, you aren't mom." One of the 14 year olds says with wide eyes as he takes a close look at me.

"Nice to see you too, Stefan." I say with a smile.

"H...how do you know that he isn't Derek?" The other twin asks me with shock.

"Because I'm your aunt," I say with a smile as I take in the site of my "nephews". They look a lot like Fang does, but they have the same eyes as Maya and I. "I can also see your wings." I say, ruffling their hair. Stefan has the same wings as Maya and I, while Derek has Fang's.

"Max!" Maya, Star, and Kate exclaim as the rush into the room with huge grins plastered across their faces. I smile softly; they still look the same as they did about 14 years ago.

"Hey, it's Maxie!"Holden exclaims as he and Ratchet stroll into the room after the others.

"Nice to see you all too," I say through some laughter, "where's the brick wall?" I ask hesitantly, referring to Fang. Everyone's faces darken, except for the twins who aren't aware of our past relation.

"Our dad is on a business trip, he works for some corporation against human DNA mutation." Derek says with a shrug. I look at the twins and realize that they are rough housing it around the kitchen and had momentarily paused. I give a wide eyed look to the others.

"He's working with my dad, Jeb?" I ask, remembering how Jeb had started an anti-Itex corporation.

"Yeah, he started after he heard about you and Dylan getting married. I think he really just needed a big distraction." Maya says with a faint smile, knowing just as well as I do about Fang's confession all those years ago in their apartment/loft.

"Oh, well that's nice." I say, faking a smile. "Good money in that field." I say before turning back to the twins. "My god, how you two have grown since I last saw you," while wrapping my arms around them both (stopping their rough housing in the process). "While mind you, the last time I saw you both in person was when you were born." I say with a giggle. Stefan gives me a suspicious look.

"What relation did you have to our father?" Stefan asks me with a cocked eyebrow. Angel sends me a telepathic message telling me about Stefan and Derek's various powers, including telepathy.

"What reason do you have to ask me such a question when you can read my thoughts?" I counter.

"My father taught me that it is rude to read another person's thoughts without their consent." Stefan says determinedly.

"Fine, you have my consent, here's my past relation to your father." I say, deciding that it is old news and that these smart twins are better if not left in the dark. I looked at Derek and Stefan as they both tuned into my memories all the way back to when we were all still at The School. I narrowed things down to memories of just Fang. A few moments later the twins are both gasping and clutching at their chests.

"Wow," Derek says, catching his breath, "our dad is quite an ass, or at least was."

"Hey! Don't talk about your father like that." Maya says with an annoyed look while slapping Derek upside the head.

"Maya, it's true," Holden says before he drops his voice a bit as to fake whisper to the twins, "he's also a molester." Everyone bursts out laughing except for the twins who look shell shocked.

"So yeah, that's who your dad was to me." I say once I recompose myself.

"Wow, you went through a lot," the twins say in a somewhat creepy unison. I must have looked weirded out since Star spoke up and explained how that was a trick they had been working on.

"You said that those were memories of your past relations with our father, but the last memory we saw was of you in front of a mirror this morning, thinking about what life with him would have been like." Stefan says to me telepathically. My eyes widen slightly.

"We were extremely close." I think back to him before turning back to the others and joining in on the conversation. I notice how everyone else has entered the kitchen and has made it into a claustrophobic's nightmare.

** Wow, so all those years and Max is still thinking about Fang. Just wow. Sorry for all this skipping ahead, I'm really just trying to finish things up! Sorry! Review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	11. Chapter 10: Surprises

**The Life of M.R.**

**Ohla people, it's been awhile, sorry!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

Hhmm…so mum went back to seeing everyone, and by the sound of it, just before I was born…interesting.

…

I was looking at myself again in a full length mirror, examining how small my swollen abdomen is in reality, due to the fact of being a bird kid. I shake my head just as my thoughts drift back to Fang and slip on an oversized hoodie that hides my abdomen pretty well before walking outside to sit with everyone else and watch a trailer to Gazzy's next horror movie. I take a seat on the grass between Dylan and Maya and make myself comfortable between them.

"And now, what you've all been waiting for…the first exclusive trailer viewing of…The Angel's Demon!" Gazzy exclaims maniacally before starting the film trailer. The screen shows a countdown and then shifts to the scene of a teenage girl in her room, praying, when suddenly a dark figure appears outside her room, which confuses the girl since it's shown that she lives on the third floor of her family's house.

"Kiara, time to let me in, God has sent me down." The voice says in a heavenly voice. Then the trailer flashes to the girl running through the forest across from her house, screaming with tears streaming down her cheeks as the sound of flapping wings getting closer and closer; there's maniacal laughter from behind her as the beast lands behind her.

"No use escaping me." The 'Angel' says, heavenly voice gone, just before he bites into the girls neck and her screams of agony begin. Then the trailer ends with the release date and everything else. Then everyone begins to clap and holler congratulations and Gazzy, but that all stops when a dark figure swoops down from the sky and lands right in front of the makeshift screen, scaring everyone shitless.

"OH MY GOD, IT'S THE ANGEL'S DEMON!" Nudge screams before she starts making a cross symbol with her arms and hiding behind Iggy.

"We're all going to die!" Kate chants as she frantically looks for somewhere to hide. Then there's a chuckle from the dark figure as Gazzy turns on a spotlight to find out who it is.

"Nice to see you all too," Fang says with the same old smirk. Suddenly all the screaming stops and Fang disappears under a pile of hugs from everyone.

"Fang, you're here!" Almost everyone says in a chorus.

"Hey Dad," The twins say in a unison. I stay away from the giant hug, not only because of my pregnancy, but also because I'm not sure how to react to this all. Once the giant crowd starts to separate from Fang after a good 20 minutes, I head inside with Maya as all the guys hang out with Fang.

"You okay?" Maya asks me with a worried expression. I chug a glass of water before nodding in response.

"Just kind of shocked me to have him show up out of nowhere," I say as I stretch my back a little. Maya gasps. I look at her confused.

"Max, either your water broke, or you peed yourself." Maya says excitedly. I look down at my maternity jeans and gasp.

"DYLAN!" I scream as the first wave of contractions start to hit me. Maya runs from the room to get everyone, and I mean EVERYONE.

…

I skip the next few pages to avoid reading about my own birth.

…

It's finally over. Dylan and I are lying in a makeshift bed at my mum and Ella's new clinic and holding Dawn.

"Hey there Dawn," Dylan coos as she continues nursing off me. I thank god that my mum had barred off the room from everyone else unless it was an emergency or we said they could come in. Time seemed to just go on forever as we lay there as a family, but that long moment is ruined when my mum cracks the door open.

"You all ready for visitors yet? I mean, it has been 3 hours." My mom says with a smile. We nod and I pull my oversized hoodie back on. The next 2 days are hectic as everyone takes care of and plays with Dawn.

** Short, but there you go. Review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	12. Chapter 11: Why they left, pt 1

**The Life of M.R.**

**So it's been awhile...okay, more than just awhile. Either way, read and enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

So that's how it had happened...Fang came back, scared the hell out of everyone and sent my mum into labour. Okay then. Back to reading.

...

Dylan and I were ready to leave with Dawn and go back to our apartment—really, we were! But it didn't work out that way...

"Max, honestly, it would be fine if you stayed with us for awhile!" Mom pestered as I started walking down the hallway, baby Dawn in my arms.

"Mom, I need to get back to my own place. There are too many people here." I say, annoyed.

"You grew up with more than half of these people, Maximum Ride. Your daughter should too." My mother says sternly. I give her a long look and finally sigh.

"Fine. 3 months, tops." I say with a sense of loss. My mother squeals (even though she's an old lady) and takes baby Dawn for yet another feeding—at this rate she'll be the fattest baby on earth.

...

I scowl at what my mother had written—I hadn't been a fat baby! Tired of reading more of the 3 month filler I read ahead.

...

Tomorrow is my beautiful girl's third birthday! It's also a week before the 20 year mark...

"Mommy, where are uncie Iggy and auntie Nudge?" Dawn asks adorably as she tugs on my sun dress, yes, I, Maximum Ride am wearing a sun dress.

"They're out getting your presents of course!" I say warmly as I playfully tap her nose. Dawn giggles hysterically which makes her wings pop out.

"Well what about Steffie and Derk?" Dawn asks me.

"You mean Stefan and Derek? They'll be here in a few hours, don't you worry." Dawn giggles again in response and then flutters away abruptly. I shake my head with a smile on my face as Dylan comes into the kitchen to see what I'm doing.

"Max, you better not be cooking again." Dylan says teasingly. I scoff and roll my eyes.

"I took those cooking classes for a reason, idiot. I can actually sort of cook." After I say this, Dylan hugs my from behind and I mean really hugs me. "Hun, what's wrong?" I ask, puzzled.

"I didn't want to mention anything but...it seems as though there was some trouble at the apartment." Dylan says, clearly troubled. I gasp and turn to face him.

"What happened?"

"A couple of old FAX fans broke in and spray painted all over the walls phrases like "the place where the wrong was conceived" which I believe was referring to Dawn and things like "Max and Fang forever." Dylan says, now sounding angry. My eyes cloud over with anger but I go to find Dawn anyways, just in case.

"Oh, hi there, Mommy." Dawn says when I find her playing house near an open window.

"Hey there, sweetie. Why don't we play a game?"

"Okay! What game?"

"Okay, so, this was one of my favourite games when I was little, okay? It's called "Hide". Okay?"

"Don't you mean "hide-and-go-seek"?"

"Nope. You see, in this game, if a dangerous person approaches you, you have to hide. Okay?"

"Okay, Mommy...what do you mean "dangerous people"?"

"Well...just anyone that might want to take you away from Mommy and Daddy, or someone who wants to hurt you. Okay?"

"Okay!" Dawn says, clearly not realizing how serious this is. What if these Dawn haters find us? What would happen to my baby girl?

...

So that's why I was ripped away from everyone else and had my memory erased...I take a break from reading just as Stefan comes into the room.

"Hey there, Dawn. How's the reading going?"

"Okay...can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, shoot." Stefan says.

"What was I like as a toddler, you know, before I was taken away?" Stefan looks troubled by my question.

"Well you were very giggly, and always wanted to play games. I remember this one time, Nudge decided to give you a makeover and she made you look like one of those creepy porcelain dolls so that you could have a tea party with your toys and fit in." Stefan says with a chuckle.

"Alright. One more thing...why isn't your dad here?" Stefan once more looks troubled by my question and takes a few moments to answer.

"The last that Derek and I heard, he was on an expedition in Alaska. That was 4 years ago." Stefan sighs and his eyes cloud over with a longing to see his father again.

** Short, simple, explanatory? I don't know. But as always...Review and keep reading!**

**-JAMZD**


	13. Chapter 12: Why they left, pt 2, The End

**The Life of M.R.**

**Alright people, here it is. You know the drill!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**CLAIMER: I do own the fanfiction plot line and any self made characters. **

Stefan has left the library again and the funeral is tomorrow. I hope to finish the last bit of the journal before it though.

**...**

Dawn's birthday party got crashed by the same group of people that destroyed the apartment. I had been in shock and seemed rooted to the ground, though could hear the screaming, the chaos. After a few moments of the numb shock, I snapped out of it and frantically searched for Dawn. I found Dylan, scratched up and covered from head to toe in paintball splatters. Yes, these arrogant people didn't have the balls to attack us with actual guns, and for that I was grateful. After seeing Dylan, he motioned towards the roof of the house. I nodded and took off, heading towards my baby girl. I find her cowering in a corner, absolutely scared witless and surely scarred for life. I bundle her up in my arms and head into the house, getting the emergency bags I had prepared in my paranoia. There are only two bags. As I leave the house with everyone fighting the baddies off, I don't look back and only hope they understand why I'm doing this. I think Fang calls after me, so does Dylan. But I keep flying, bags and daughter in either arm. I fly until the third town over and by now Dawn has fallen into a restless sleep. I check into a motel under an alias and start planning out my new life.

**...**

So that's how it went down, Mom was scared for me, and it's my fault that she got separated from everyone she loves...I skip a few days ahead to the infamous hawk cave meeting.

**...**

Today is the day that I go to meet Fang at the hawk cave, it's really been 20 years since that sad, sad day. Dawn is still considerably shaken up, though it's already been almost a week. I decide to leave her at the motel when I go to meet up with Fang. I get to the old cave and land at the entrance, Fang steps out of the shadows, as usual.

"Where have you been?" He asks stoically, though I can see the anger and worry in his eyes.

"Hiding." I answer simply.

"You can't just run off like that, Max."

"Says the man that left me with only a letter. At least I had a better reason." Fang sighs at this and pinches the bridge of his nose. Then he takes a deep breath.

"Max, why don't we finally do what we always planned. Find an island somewhere, live there with the flock, the _original_ flock?" He asks me hopefully. I give a disgusted look.

"How dare you. How dare you say that when you have your own children. How dare you think about that when you have Maya. How dare you even consider that when you know damn well that there are people depending on you?" I hiss as him with eyes slitting in disgust.

"You know very damn well why I dare." He says sorrowfully, not giving up quite yet.

"Fang, there's no use. I'm taking Dawn far, far away from here. I'm going to raise her on my own, as a _normal_ child. No wings, no hates, no flock." Fang winces when I say this to him. He knows I'm serious though. As I turn on my heel to go back to the motel room, not wanting Dawn to be alone for too much longer, he calls softly after me.

"Goodbye my one true love, Maximum Ride." I don't even flinch as I do and up, up and away.

**...**

What? How could she have been that cold to him? I mean, I know he abandoned her and all, but, just, what? AGH. I skip ahead another few pages.

**...**

Today I wrote to the flock to let them know we were okay and well. Then I contacted Jeb. Unsurprisingly, he responded immediately. We ended meeting up in a coffee shop, this time I brought Dawn with me.

"Ah, Max, my daughter. And that must be Dawn! She looks just like you and Dylan." Jeb coos as he wraps his aged hands around the coffee cup.

"Yes, she does," I smile softly. "So, I can guess that you have the gist of why I've contacted you." Jeb becomes solemn.

"Yes, I heard about the...encounter. And I'll be damned if I don't know you well enough to know why you're here today. So I would just like to ask if you're absolutely sure about this...?" Jeb says, rather professionally. I nod slowly. He sighs in sadness and tells me to come to his main office tomorrow to get the wings grafted off and then the beginning of the intensive therapy.

**...**

After reading that I skip the next months worth of pages, not wanting to read about the grotesque pain and depression that followed my mother after having her wings taken off and from watching me slowly forget all about my first 3 years of life. Then I find myself at the very last entry.

**...**

It's been about a year since Dawn and I left. The days are quiet for me, and often sorrowful. I'm in a dark place, but it's what's safest for my daughter. I send a picture of Dawn to the flock once every 2 months and make sure never to put a return address on the letters. I also follow them in the media. They are all becoming successful, and Nudge is going to get married. I hope things work out for her. Now where I'm living, I have a bit of a studio to exercise in, though I work during the day at a coffee shop. Dawn is getting bigger and smarter every single day, and it saddens me to think that the flock and Dylan especially will not be able to watch it too. But then I remember it's what's best and safest. Dawn will always come first.

**...**

As I read the last entry, tears come to film my eyes over. So much, she sacrificed so much for me and she never complained or resented me for it. I close the leather journal an swallow my tears as Blythe comes into the room to see me. It's the first time I've seen her in days. I beckon her over and have her sit in my lap, and I just hug her and cry silently into her hair. I guess she understands, in her own way, and wraps her arms around me and pats my back. Eventually she gets called by Simon to do her homework and she leaves, but not before putting a manilla envelope on my desk.

"Grandma told me to give this to you when you finished the journal." She says curtly in her 13 year old way. I thank her and wait till she is out the door to read it. When I open the envelope, pictures of the flock and of me with the flock fall out. There's about 20 aged photos in the envelope as well as newspaper clippings and a neatly written final letter from my mother.

_Dearest Dawn,_

_ By now, you've more or less finished reading the journal. I hope you don't resent me for taking you away from everyone, and I hope you aren't struck by grief and depression as I was for that first year. Please, don't be scared to get close to the flock, it's safe now. And please, don't worry about how I was. I didn't regret my decision for a single moment. Grow old proudly, my Darling, and know that you come from a brave family. Society is indebted to our family, always remember that you are a Ride. _

_Love Always,_

_Mom - Maximum Ride_

I shakily put the letter down and find that a single tear has landed on the page and blurred a bit of the pen ink. I put the letter and clippings back in the envelope before going to sleep, because that's what you really need when you're sad.

The next morning I wake up and know that today is the dreadful day that I put my mother in the ground. I dress myself, do my hair, and wait for everyone else. When they are ready, we ride in separate cars to the cemetery. Like any typical sad movie, the day is dreary and rain is lightly falling an splattering the casket that appropriately has a pair of wings carved on it. After many eulogies, the flock, including Maya and my cousins, spread their wings in a sign of respect and then go to lower the casket in themselves. Just as they are about to, they're stopped by a rather rough landing from a mystery guest.

"Wait, don't, not yet." The voice says hoarsely as they pick themselves up off the ground. Every one turns sharply to look at him and everyone seems to know who it is by their shocked looks.

"Fang..." Dylan says quietly. Then he yells. "You asshole! You knew she was dying! Why didn't you go see her!?" Fang looks down and his surprising amount of hair falls to cover his face.

"She told me to stay away, she told us all to stay away." Then he walks towards the casket, midnight black wings still spread. He kneels in the muddy grass beside the casket and wraps his arms around it as best as he can.

"Max, oh Max. I thought we were supposed to die together." His voice becomes choked up before he can finish whatever he was going to say. At this time I look around and every one is silently crying. After a few moments, they ply Fang off the casket and begin burying my mother.

Later, we're all back at the house for coffee and other refreshments. Eventually everyone leaves, last is Fang though, who stays to talk to me.

"Your mother, she was a strong woman. I grew up with her, she was my best friend, my other half." He begins. I stop him though.

"She had me read the journal, Fang. I know, really, I do. Thank you for respecting her wishes. Really, thanks." He nods, both of us are choked up again Then he leaves and I go once again to sleep, this time with Simon hugging me tightly as I drift off.

The next morning I'm awoken by the shrill ringing of the home phone. I groggily pick up to hear Maya's sad voice.

"Dawn, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me, Aunt Maya. What's wrong?" I can hear her gasp on the other end and swallow hard.

"Fang...he passed away in his sleep with a note on his side of the bed. It read: Maya, my dear, if you're reading this, then you will have found me dead in my sleep. Please know that you really did always have a place in my heart, although it was never as big as the one I held for Max. I am sorry I could not love you as much as I should have, and thank you for loving me more than I deserved. Please know I'm okay now, than I'm happy." Aunt Maya's voice shakes at the end and she begins sobbing. I frantically console her and drive over to the hotel where she and everyone else is staying.

**...**

_ I watch Dawn as she finishes the phone call with Maya, Fang hugging me from behind, whispering sweet nothings in my ear. Up here, wherever here is, we're young again, in our prime, and able to watch out loved ones. I hope she'll be okay, though I really know she will be, she is a Ride after all. _

**So there it is guys! The end of yet another fanfictions, it's sad, I know, but it works.. I hope you've enjoyed reading this fic and read my others. Please ****Review. **

**-JAMZD**


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